Marko Martinjak, a top pound-for-pound fighter in bare-knuckle boxing and the reigning Bridgerweight champion for BKB (Bare Knuckle Boxing), has stated that Oleksandr Usyk would present a less formidable challenge in a bare-knuckle bout than Tyson Fury.
Martinjak, who previously vacated his BKB super cruiserweight title to focus on the heavier bridgerweight division, explained his perspective. While acknowledging Usyk’s success in professional gloved boxing, particularly his victories over Fury, Martinjak sees the Ukrainian as an anomaly in the context of bare-knuckle fighting.
In comments relayed by Bare Knuckle Bowker, Martinjak elaborated on his weight class preference: “Listen, I’m a small heavyweight. Let’s be honest. I’m like 220, 225 pounds. So why should I go to fight with the guys who are like 6, 6’5, 6’6 feet and they have 250 lbs, 260 lbs. So that is; okay, we have [Oleksandr] Usyk who did that in professional boxing. But right now, I don’t see myself as a heavyweight. I want to conquer bridgerweight and we will see what future bring us.”
Usyk vs. Fury in Bare Knuckle: Martinjak’s Assessment
Further contrasting the two boxers in a bare-knuckle scenario, Martinjak indicated a preference for facing Usyk over Fury. He recounted a previous interview where he expressed interest in fighting Usyk in bare-knuckle, confident in his ability to win. However, in a separate instance, the Croatian BKB champion appeared less enthusiastic about a potential bare-knuckle bout with Tyson Fury.
When questioned if this assessment was influenced by the significant size difference between Fury and Usyk, despite Usyk’s victories over Fury under traditional boxing rules, Martinjak provided his reasoning: “Yes, [Oleksandr] Usyk is maybe couple of centimeters taller than me but he’s on the same weight like me. [Tyson] Fury is 6’9 and 270, 280 pounds. So if I want to hit him in the face, I would like have to jump, so. But you can’t jump in bare knuckle, not MMA, or for boxing. So definitely Tyson Fury would beat me because of that size. But if we are the same size, I would beat him in the bare knuckle. This is my game. I tell you before, I was born to to do this. Because every combat sport I did in the past, lead me to be the bare knuckle fighter that I am today.”
English Translation:
Marko Martinjak, a top pound-for-pound fighter in bare-knuckle boxing and the reigning Bridgerweight champion for BKB (Bare Knuckle Boxing), has stated that Oleksandr Usyk would present a less formidable challenge in a bare-knuckle bout than Tyson Fury.
Martinjak, who previously vacated his BKB super cruiserweight title to focus on the heavier bridgerweight division, explained his perspective. While acknowledging Usyk’s success in professional gloved boxing, particularly his victories over Fury, Martinjak sees the Ukrainian as an anomaly in the context of bare-knuckle fighting.
In comments relayed by Bare Knuckle Bowker, Martinjak elaborated on his weight class preference: “Listen, I’m a small heavyweight. Let’s be honest. I’m like 220, 225 pounds. So why should I go to fight with the guys who are like 6, 6’5, 6’6 feet and they have 250 lbs, 260 lbs. So that is; okay, we have [Oleksandr] Usyk who did that in professional boxing. But right now, I don’t see myself as a heavyweight. I want to conquer bridgerweight and we will see what future bring us.”
Usyk vs. Fury in Bare Knuckle: Martinjak’s Assessment
Further contrasting the two boxers in a bare-knuckle scenario, Martinjak indicated a preference for facing Usyk over Fury. He recounted a previous interview where he expressed interest in fighting Usyk in bare-knuckle, confident in his ability to win. However, in a separate instance, the Croatian BKB champion appeared less enthusiastic about a potential bare-knuckle bout with Tyson Fury.
When questioned if this assessment was influenced by the significant size difference between Fury and Usyk, despite Usyk’s victories over Fury under traditional boxing rules, Martinjak provided his reasoning: “Yes, [Oleksandr] Usyk is maybe couple of centimeters taller than me but he’s on the same weight like me. [Tyson] Fury is 6’9 and 270, 280 pounds. So if I want to hit him in the face, I would like have to jump, so. But you can’t jump in bare knuckle, not MMA, or for boxing. So definitely Tyson Fury would beat me because of that size. But if we are the same size, I would beat him in the bare knuckle. This is my game. I tell you before, I was born to to do this. Because every combat sport I did in the past, lead me to be the bare knuckle fighter that I am today.”
